Skating rink



N. T, Tous 2,270,745

`SKTING EINE Filed July 24, 194D iHv/@friki Patented Jan. 20, 1942 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y'SKATINGRINK `Newton Taylor Todd, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application July :24, 1940, Serial No. 347,106

11 Claims.

V-It is the object of my` invention to produce a portable ice-skating rink which can readily' be takenapart, transported in sections, and expeditiously reassembled at a new location.

In carrying out my invention I form a rink of a plurality of horizontally disposed sheet-metal panels each of which is formed immediately be neath its upper surface with a channel for the circulation of brine or other cooling liquid. This Channel is desirably retroverted and has both yits ends located at one end of the panel, where nipples are provided for the purpose of connecting the ends of the channel respectively to `brinesupply and brine-return headers. YIn setting up the rink, a plurality of the panels just described are placed side by `side on a suitable supporting surface with their upper faces in substantially co-planar relationship, and are secured together by means of rods or cables which extend transversely of the `panels throughout the entire 'extent of the assembly. A border frame is then applied to the panel-assembly, such rborder frame consisting of rails extending along the edges of the rink and overlapping the upper edges of `the panels for a short distance to dene and provide a support for the edges of ice-sheet to be formed on the upper surface of the assembled panels. Brine-supply and brine-return headers are then arranged along one end of the rink and connected, preferably through flexible hose, with the nipples on the individual rink-sections. As 4brine is circulated through the `individual rink-sections, water sprayed upon the upper surface of the panels will be frozen to form a continuous, smooth sheet of ice.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. l is a plan view of acomplete rink embodying a single'row of panels; Fig. 2'is a plan View of a single panel; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a rink embodying a kdouble row of panels; Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical'section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 5 illustrating constructionaldetails 'of the individual panels; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a fragmental vertical section through one end of a 1 panel illustrating further details of construction.

As will be clear from Figs. 4, `5, and "6, each of the panels comprises `an upper plate Il) and a lower plate I I ,the latter being `formed to provide an upwardly opening retroverted channel having a plurality of longitudinally extending stretches I2 .interconnected in series by transverse stretches I3 at the ends of the plate. The upper plate I0 covers the open top of the retroverted channel I2I3 and, with the walls of that channel, def fines .iacontinuous passage extending 4back and forth throughout the kentire length of -the panel.

The side and end edges of the plate I0 are bent downwardly to form flanges I5 which extend well below the Abottom wall of the channel I2-I3, the inner sur-face of the flange I5 at the sides of the plate `I Il desir-ably 'lying against the'up-turned edges of the plate' I I which define the outer walls of the channel-stretches I2 at the sides of the plate I0. The extreme lower end of the flange I5 is bent inwardly to form a lip I6 which serves to retain in position heat-insulating material I1 with which each panel, below the channel I2-I 3, is filled. Any desired form of heat-insulation may be employed, but I prefer to use cork-slab insulation, protecting its lower face with a sheet I8 of canvas the edges of which are tucked beneath the lips I5, as will be clear from Fig. 6. The cork-slab insulation is held in place within the panel as by gluing, and may extend below the lower face of the -lip I6 ineorder to support such lip above the floor `or yother supporting surface and thus reduce heat-transference.

Desirablythe channel I2-I3 is formed so that its --two ends are located at the same end ofthe panel formed by the two plates I0 and Il. At the ends of the channel, there are mounted in the flange I5two nipples 2ll'adapted respectively for connection to a brine-supply header 2| and a brine-return'header 22. Preferably, each of the nipples 20 is provided with a 45 street-L 23 arranged with its outer end inclined upwardly and connected to the associated header through a valve 24 and a` short length of flexible hose `25 having `at its ends 'couplings 26 for attachment respectively to the street-Ll 23 and the valve 24 on the header.

The two plates I0 and II are secured together, andthe nipples '20 `secured in place, as by welding. The `ungrooved portions of the lower plate II should fittightly `against the lower surface o1'. the plate I0, and Vare preferably welded thereto, in order to prevent cross-flow between two adacent longitudinal stretches I2 of `the brine channel. `To reinforce each panel, I` may yemploy stiffening rods 28 (Fig. 4) which extend Aat least for a considerable portion of the length of the panel and which are welded in place within the angle formed by the ilange |`5 and lip I6 at each side -of the panel.. If desired, one or more transversetie rods 29 extending between and welded to opposite longitudinal flanges I5 may also be employed.

To yassemble the rink a plurality of panels A are placed sideby side on any suitable door or other fairly plane supporting surface as indicated in Fig. 1, with the nipples 20 on all the panels disposed at the same end. To hold the panels together each of them is provided with a plurality of transverse holes 3D so located as to be alined when the panels are put in the assembled position; and rods, cables, or other tension members 3| are passed through the alined openings 30 of the several panels. As shown in Fig. 1, the tension members 3| are rods having screwthreaded ends on which nuts 32 are mounted for the purpose of clamping the panels together. After the panels are secured together the brinesupply and brine-discharge headers are mounted along that side of the assembly from which the nipples 20 project, and the hoses 25 then putin place to connect each panel to the supply and return headers.

To provide a support for the edges of the icesheet which is to -be formed on the upper surfaces of the panel-plates IB, and also to stiffen the assembly, I prefer to employ a border B which surrounds the assembly at the edges thereof. As will be clear from Fig. 6, each side of this border is desirably formed of two strips of .wood 35 and 36 secured together at right angles to each other with the inner edge of the horizontal strip 35 overlapping the upper surface of the plates IIJ` To provide additional heat insulation, the vertical strip 35 may be disposed outwardly from the panel and the intervening space lled With heat-insulating material 31. Conveniently, the two strips 35 and 36 and the insulating material are embodied in a sub-assembly, the insulating material being cork slab out to the proper dimension, glued to the two strips 35 and 36 and protected by a strip of canvas 38.

Those rails of the border frame which extend longitudinally of the panels may be held in place by nuts 43 on the ends of the rods 3|, such rodends projecting beyond the panel-clamping nuts 32 f-ar enough to extend through the borderframe member 35. To hold the other two rails of the border frame B in place, the end wall I5 of each panel may be provided with an opening 4I for the reception of the nut 42 of a bolt 43, extending through the side rail of the border frame. In order to facilitate application of the border-frame side rail to that end of the rink from which the nipples 20 project, that side rail may be provided with downwardly opening nipple-receiving slots so that the rail can be put in place by a downward movement.

With the desired number of panels assembled in the manner above described and connected to the brine-supply and brine-return headers 2I and 22 brine is circulated through the passages I2-|3 of the several panels to cool the same; and after the panels have become cold, water is sprayed on their upper surfaces to build up an ice-sheet 45 of l.appropriate thickness.

For obvious reasons, it is of considerable irnportance that the flow of brine or other cooling liquid through the several panels be reasonably uniform. To promote an even distribution of cooling fluid among the several panels, it is desirable to make each of the headers 2| `and 22 of stepped diameter, the supply header 2U decreasing in diameter from its inlet and the return header increasing in diameter toward its outlet. In order to promote uniformity of iiow within the passage I2-I3 of each individual panel and to prevent the formation of eddies at the bends in such passage, I nd it desirable to Cil provide guide vanes 50 in each of the transverse stretches I3 of the passage in each panel. As will be clear from Fig. 5, each of these guide vanes is formed of a metal strip having a width equal to the depth of the passage I2-I3 and bent into a general U-shape with its ends extending longitudinally of two adjacent longitudinal stretches I2 of the brine passage. The guide vanes 50 subdivide each transverse passage I3 and the adjacent ends of the two longitudinal passages I2 interconnected thereby, and the vanes are so shaped and positioned as to make the several passage sub-divisions as nearly as practicable of substantially equal cross-sectional area at corresponding points in their length, I find that in the absence of the guideevanes 5U or of some similar flow-controlling means, eddies form at the outer corners of the bends in the passage I2-I3 and tend to create warm spots in the upper surface of the plate I0. The vanes 50, however, act to prevent the formation of such eddies 'and therefore promote the maintenance of uniform temperatures over the surface of the upper plate Ill.

Since the brine or other cooling liquid absorbs heat during its flow through the passage I2-I3, the temperature of the cooling fluid in the last longitudinal stretch I2 of the passage in each panel will be somewhat higher than that in the rst longitudinal stretch. To compensate at least partially for this temperature differential, I may mount in the last stretch of the passage one or more heat-radiating ns 5I. Desirably, these fins are metal strips having a width equal to the depth of the passage |2--I3 and are welded to the lower surface of the upper plate Ill to promote the ow of heat from the plate I0 through the ns into the cooling liquid. I prefer that the llns 5IV be spaced from any ow-directing vanes 50, as indicated at 52 in Fig. 5, in order to equalize any pressure-differential which results from varying resistances to flow possessed by the sub-divisions into which the passage I3 is divided by the guide vanes 50.

If it is desired to build a rink having a width greater than the length of the panels VA, two rows of such panels may be placed side by side as indicated in Fig. 3 with the nipple ends of the panels in the two rows directed away from each other so that the opposite vends of the panels in the two rows may abut closely together. The panels in each row are clamped together by the tension members 3| and nuts 32, while the two rows of panels are tied together by similar tension members 55 extending through longitudinal holes 56 in the individual panels. 'Ihe transverse holes 3|) and longitudinal holes 58 in each panel may be made co-planar and large enough so that the tension members 3| and 55 can cross lat the points where the holes intersect. In the case of a rink embodying two rows of panels, the border frame B surrounds the entire assembly, its rails at the ends of the panels being held in place by nuts 40 on the ends of the tension members 55, and two sets of headers 2| and 22 are employed. one for each row of panels.

When it is desired to move the rink, the valves 24 are closed and the headers emptied of cooling fluid. The hoses are disconnected from the streetLs 23, but may be left in association with the headers. The outer end of the street-Ls 23 will be disposed above the passage I2-I3 in the panels, with the result that the cooling liquid will not escape from the panels and spill upon the floor or other supporting surface when the hoses are disconnected. This feature is of considerable advantage when the rink is set up on a finished wood floor.

Following disconnection of the hoses 25, the nuts 40 are removed and the border frame B disassembled. At least one of the clamping nuts 32 on each tension member 3| or 55 is then removed and the tension members withdrawn from the panels, thus permitting each panel to be handled and transported individually.

I claim as my invention:

1. A portable ice skating rink, comprising a plurality of horizontal panels; each of said panels including an elongated plane top plate of sheet-metal, a bottom plate of sheet metal formed with an upwardly opening retroverted channel and received beneath said top plate whereby the lower surface of the top plate and the walls of said channel dene a continuous retroverted fluid passage, the side and end edges of said top plate being bent to form flanges extending downwardly past the bottom wall of said passage, and heat-insulating material substantially lling the space between the bottom plate and the lower edges of said flanges; means for holding said panels together with their upper surfaces coplanar and the flanges at the sides of successive panels abutting; supply and return headers for a cooling fluid; means for connecting the ends of the passage in each panel to said headers, respectively; and a border frame surrounding said row of panels, said border frame including a member overlying the upper surfaces of the panels at the edges of the panel row to define the edges of an ice-sheet formedby water sprayed on the coplanar upper surfaces of said panels and frozen by cooling fluid circulated through said passages.

2. A portable ice skating rink, comprising a plurality of horizontal panels; each of said panels including an elongated plane top plate of sheet-metal, a bottom plate of sheet metal formed with an upwardly opening retroverted channel and received beneath said top plate whereby the lower surface of the top plate and the walls of said channel define a continuous retroverted fluid passage, the side and end edges o1' said top plate being lbent to form anges extending downwardly past the bottom wall of said passage, and heat-insulating material subaddition that said panels are provided with alined holes extending transversely of the panels and longitudinally of the row, said means for holding the panels together comprising tension members extending through said holes.

6. A portable ice skating rink, comprising a plurality of horizontal panels, each of said panels including a plane top plate of sheet-metal, means including passage-defining walls rigid with the top plate of each panel for circulating a cooling fluid in contact with the lower surface of such top plate, and means for detachably holding said panels together in a row with their side edges abutting and the upper surfaces of said top plates in substantially coplanar relationship to form a support for a sheet of ice formed by water sprayed on such top plates and frozen by cooling fluid in contact with the lower surfaces thereof.

7. The invention set forth in claim 6 with the addition that the means for holding said panels together comprises one or more tension members extending transversely through each panel and longitudinally of the panel-row.

8. The invention set forth in claim 6 with the addition of a border frame surrounding the row of panels and including a member overlying the upper surfaces of the panels to deiine the edges of such ice-sheet.

9. A portable ice-skating rink, comprising a sectional, horizontal, ice-supporting wall, means for circulating a cooling fluid beneath the several sections of said wall and in heat-exchanging relation thereto, and means for detachably holdstantially filling the space between the bottom turned inwardly of the panel to form lips overlying the edges of said insulating material.

5. 'I'he invention set forth in claim 2 with the ing the wall-sections together, each section of said ice-supporting wall including a conduit disposed in heat-transferring relation with the wall-section and forming a part of said circulating means.

10. In a portable ice-skating rink, a plurality of elongated panels each having a plane, horizontal top Wall, means co-operating with the top wall of each panel to denne therebeneath a continuous retroverted passage for cooling uid, parallel conduits for the supply and return of cooling fluid, the retroverted fluid passage in each of said panels having its ends located at c tinuous retroverted passage for cooling uid, saidv passage having a plurality of parallel longitudinal stretches interconnected in series by one or more transverse stretches at the ends of the panel, guide vanes disposed in said passage at each junction of longitudinal and transverse passage-stretches to prevent the formation of eddies in cooling fluid owing through the passage, and means for supplying cooling fluid to one end of the passage in each panel.

NEWTON TAYLOR TODD. 

